The crazy weather pattern dumped a lot of snow on the otherwise wet We(s)t Coast, leaving the bike house-bound, trapped, locked in, deemed to be parked, and that leaves me with what?
P M S - Parked Motorcycle Syndrome
A common disease that occurs in the winter when a rider is unable to take his/her motorcycle out for a ride and is forced to think about things other than motorcycles.
WRONG!
Still thinking about motorcycles.
Still thinking about motorcycles.
That's what the Motorcycle Show is for.
Of course we had a much more serious mission this time. A friend of ours needed assistance for his first motorcycle purchase.
Meanwhile our friend became friendly with a Kawasaki KLR 650, a good and reasonably priced starter bike for a tall guy like him.
But this one, the Yamaha Tenere really made him smile (that is until he took a gander at the price tag).
It was a good trade show with lots of visitors. All major brands where present, even Piaggio showed up. Lots of material to dream and rave about until riding season begins again.
Man if I were a hundred pounds lighter I would definitely like to try out the Bonneville. As it is I am a big guy so a big bike suits me. And I agree with you about the Victory- too much body work on a motorcycle for my taste. I don't even like fairings on bikes- that's one of the reasons I like my Road King- except for the hard bags and windscreen, it's all motorcycle, no bodywork.
ReplyDeleteAh, but to go screaming around the countryside on a Bonny, doing my best Steve McQueen- that would be fun. Cheers.
Exactly my thoughts, it still has to look like a bike. There seems to be a crowd who must like the looks of it, and buy this. But I have never seen one of those actually on the road. I wonder how they would do twisties (evil grin...)
DeleteFugly is the right term for that Victory. I don't know what the designers were thinking (or smoking) when they came up with that model. But.... they must be selling as it's been in their model lineup for a couple of years now. To each his opwn I guess.
ReplyDeleteAnd re Brit bikes, I got to see, for the first time, and sit on(!) the new Norton 961 at the Ottawa Show last weekend - in a word - AWESOME! Except for the $20K price tag and a year+ waiting list I'd be planning how to get one in the garage right now.
Isn't the Norton a fantastic bike? I have been drooling over it since decades but never had the chance to sit on the new 961. Ok, the price tag is a bit high but if I had the money, I would buy one of those.
DeleteYou are looking pretty stylish on that Bonnie. I was sitting on one in Eugene yesterday at the Triumph shop and it was the exact same color combination. Made me think of Harley colors.
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a good time at the show. Looks as though there were a bunch on vendors not at the Seattle show. Maybe next year we can make it up.
Honestly, I tried to stay away from it. I only wanted to show my friend the Tiger... and then I was distracted by the color scheme.
DeleteOur little motorcycle show had much more to offer than the Seattle show, and it was packed with visitors. It was well worth visiting.
Man you guys are lucky, we don't get anything like this over here. Bikes are just tagged onto car shows and there is nothing special. I will say the Bonnie suits you very well!
ReplyDeleteSeriously? What a pity, but the market is probably too small. You should see the motorcycle trade shows in Europe... THAT is something!
DeleteSonja - I was drooling over that same Bonnie! I loved the orange & black. It's still on my dream list and if I had th e cash it would have gone home with me. I also liked the lowered Ducati Monster, so many bikes to choose from. It really was a good show and I am glad I made it and can hardly wait until next year. There was no disappointment here.
ReplyDeleteWasn't that a pretty one? I love the color scheme. I could easily have one bike per day of the week...
DeleteBTW - I agree about the Victory bike & find most of them big & chunky, not my bag of chips.
ReplyDeleteThe Victory seems huge and looks very heavy and all the bodywork just detracts from the appearance. You may as well just pick up the Triumph. It's the only way to get it out of your mind. Not having ever ridden one, it seems pretty similar to your Sportster. What's the appeal?
ReplyDeleteWhy Bonnie? Simplicity and timeless design. Actually, is why I like the Sporty for as well, and I haven't parted with this one yet. I am tempted to do some modifications first I guess, and so far this one had been very reliable.
DeleteAh snow. So lovely to look at, but it ruins all my fun! You have Bonnie sonar... just happened to pass one, purely by chance. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree on the Victory, not my cup of tea, but some people really love them.
That Victory somehow makes me think of George Jetson - it should be hovering somewhere...but what better way to fill in the snow days than heading to a bike show and taking pictures and having fun.
ReplyDeleteYea, I like the Bonnie too but your friend should go for the Tenere, I know, I'm a little biased :-)
ReplyDeleteHow much is it in Canada?
He was smitten, but the budget doesnt allow it yet. 't goes around 16,500 CAD sans extras.
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